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Secrets and Swaps to Borrow from Top Rated Diets

Top Rated Diets of 2015

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U.S. News and World Report released their annual rankings for the best diets for 2016 — and the weight-loss plans that made the cut may surprise you. Although your Facebook feed may be littered with Paleo-friendly foods, the super-trendy detox, raw food, and caveman diets ranked at the bottom of the list. Tried-and-true dietary advice informed by doctors, scientific studies, and legions of successful dieters — even some from our distant ancestors, albeit not the hunter-gatherer variety – proved, once again, to have dietary staying power. Here are five smart swaps you can borrow from each of the top diets that will help you eat well, lose weight, and get healthy in 2016 and beyond.

The Dash Diet: Swap Salt for Flavorful Spices and Herbs

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The DASH Diet, which was ranked #1 for the sixth year in a row, was developed specifically to help people lower high blood pressure. The diet focuses on whole foods and is low in fat, red meat, sugar, and sodium. It also encourages people to read labels, choose whole foods, prepare their own meals at home – and swap their salt shakers for flavorful spices, herbs, and blends. Reduce your sodium intake (and the bloat associated with too much salt!) with these easy switches:

Spice things up: Swap salt for fresh and or dried herbs and spices, which enhance, rather than mask the flavor of food. Experiment with no-sodium spice blends like herbes de Provence, Italian, curry, and Chinese five spice.

Pass on the salt: Put away the shaker while you’re cooking and just sprinkle a little bit, along with some fresh herbs, just before serving.

TLC Diet: Swap Red Meat for Skinless Poultry and Fish

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Although not technically designed for weight loss, the Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes Diet (TLC) is endorsed by the American Heart Association as a heart-healthy eating plan that can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. The key is cutting back on saturated fat, like fatty beef and pork, whole-milk dairy and cheese, and fried foods, which raises bad cholesterol and increases the risk of heart attack and stroke.

Mayo Clinic Diet: Swap Calorie Counting for Healthier Habits

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The Mayo Clinic Diet aims to teach you how to choose healthy foods and portions, break bad habits, and develop healthy lifestyle habits so that you can maintain a healthy weight for life. Unlike other programs that have you track every calorie you consume from day one, Mayo Clinic dieters are hard at work replacing bad habits with good ones that will last a lifetime. Try these smart swaps:

Curb mindless TV time: Watch TV for only as many minutes as you exercised that day – or better yet, exercise while you watch!

Move more, snack less: Instead of heading to the kitchen when boredom strikes, take a walk around the block or do some jumping jacks.

Upgrade your carbs: Don’t worry – you can have your carbs and eat them, too. Mayo Clinic Dieters swap refined grains like white rice, bread, and pasta for whole-wheat and multigrain varieties, which have more nutrients and help you feel full longer.

Mediterranean Diet: Swap Mixed Drinks and Beer for Wine

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Your Italian or Greek grandmother may have been on to something. The Mediterranean Diet — an eating plan rich in olive oil, nuts, fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and fish — lowers the risk of heart attacks and other cardiovascular diseases. But what makes the Mediterranean Diet a clear winner — year after year, and study after study — is how easy it is to follow and adopt for life.

While many diet plans advise you to cut out bread, cheese, and fats, these foods are staples are on the Mediterranean menu. You can even have a glass of wine with your dinner every night of the week. To get all the heart-health benefits this diet offers, here's the easiest diet swap of all time: Just switch up your usual mixed drink or beer for red wine. The alcohol and antioxidants in red wine may help prevent heart disease so enjoy one 5 oz. glass of wine per day for women, and no more than two for men. Salud!

Weight Watchers: Swap Empty Calories for Foods That Fill You Up Longer

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Although the Weight Watchers system has evolved over the years, it has always been about eating in moderation and eating the foods you want. The latest PointsPlus program assigns every food a value, based on protein, carbohydrates, fat, and fiber. This system effectively rewards you for choosing healthier “filling” foods, which have fewer (and sometimes even zero!) points, over foods with empty calories and higher points values. Here are two great ways to avoid diet disaster:

Start with zero: Feeling snacky? Fruits and veggies carry zero points on the plan, making them “free” foods. Swap out high-calorie, high-fat chips and cookies with unlimited amounts of carrots, celery, apples, berries, oranges – you name it. You’ll have room left over for three filling meals a day.

Beware “wine o’clock”: If you’re going to drink, consider alcohol when planning your meals for the day. Because everything, including alcohol has a points value, Weight Watchers members know that drinks count just as much as food when it comes to losing weight.

MIND Diet: Swap Butter for Healthier Fats Like Avocado

A relative newcomer to the dietary space, the MIND Diet takes two winning dietary formulas — the #1 DASH Diet and #x Mediterranean Diet — to create an eating plan designed to reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.